Tribes of Cool: The Daddy Cool

In a world that worships youth, it’s easy to forget the ones who stepped out without a road map—the ones who paved the way for the cool kids today. From the outspoken Bollywood director who used his own tumultuous life to create compelling movies to the curator who made preserving tradition cool, they set the benchmarks we still measure ourselves against

1 / 9

Image: Taras Taraporvala

Rajeev SethiInterior designer, scenographer and curator

Words that describe India Cool: Reinvent, reincarnate!

Coolest Indian innovation: The unstitched, hand-spun and brilliantly structured woven sari that can be wrapped in 108 different styles as a DIY garment

What makes one uncool: Derivative aping

2 / 9

Image: Taras Taraporvala

Sunita KholiInterior designer and architectural restorer

A word that best describes India Cool: Talent

A cool game changer in your industry: Architectural Digest India

Coolest Indian innovation: The pressure cooker

On Sunita: Sari, Sundari Silk.

3 / 9

Image: Taras Taraporvala

Rohit Bal
Fashion designer

It is no surprise when he says ‘heritage’ is the word that describes India best. That’s not to say he doesn’t look forward. He’s a veteran designer keeping up with the zeitgeist, collaborating with high-street brands and e-commerce platforms. So it’s hard to contest the claim when we ask him for a cool Indian he knows. “It’s not difficult—Rohit Bal!” comes the reply.

4 / 9

Image: Taras Taraporvala

Mahesh BhattFilm director, producer and screenwriter

Coolest Indian: Amartya Sen

What makes one uncool: The feeling of ‘I am God’

A cool game changer in your industry: The movie Bahubali

5 / 9

Image: Taras Taraporvala

Suhel SethManaging partner, Counselage

Coolest Indian: Anand Mahindra. He runs a business, (Mahindra & Mahindra), but runs it like he’s rehearsing for theatre every morning. He runs it like Abraham Lincoln ran America.

Coolest Indian innovation: Piling four people on to a two-wheeler. I don’t know how they do it but they do it remarkably well.